By Alfred Zacharia - Morogoro
The
government is finalising plans to launch a whistleblowing platform to enable
citizens to report irregularities in public procurement, in a move aimed at
promoting transparency and protecting public resources.
The
platform will offer a secure and confidential space for whistleblowers, with
guaranteed protection, while allowing authorities to investigate and take
appropriate disciplinary or legal action.
Commissioner
for Public Procurement Policy at the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Frederick
Mwakibinga, said the necessary policies and legal frameworks for the platform
are already in place.
“Public
procurement covers a wide range of activities across the country. It’s
difficult to monitor everything and everyone,” said Dr. Mwakibinga during a
seminar for journalists held in Morogoro on June 18, 2025.
“But
through this whistleblowing platform, we can receive credible information from
various sources, which helps us take corrective action in time,” he said,
urging the public to actively participate in reporting misconduct.
Dr Mwakibinga noted that close to 70 percent of the national budget is spent on procurement, making it a high-risk area for mismanagement if not properly monitored.
“In the
2024/25 national budget, the total allocation was TZS 50.29 trillion. Of that,
about TZS 35.2 trillion went to public procurement. Without strict oversight,
we risk losing huge amounts of money,” he warned.
He
emphasised the importance of public awareness and citizen involvement in
safeguarding government resources.
“It is
vital for both the government and the public to understand the consequences of
weak supply chain management. With collective efforts, we can reduce — or even
eliminate — unnecessary losses in public procurement,” he said.
During the seminar, Dr. Maige Mwasimba, a lecturer at Mzumbe University, provided training on the fundamentals of supply chain management.
He outlined its seven key stages: procurement, clearing and forwarding, receiving, storage, distribution, utilization and disposal.
“Supply
chain management involves using public funds to acquire goods and services for
the benefit of citizens,” said Dr. Mwasimba. “The process should be transparent
and efficient to ensure that every shilling counts.”
The
whistleblower platform is part of wider reforms by the government to improve
efficiency and accountability in public procurement, and to build public trust
in the management of taxpayer funds.
